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ii Army AL&T Magazine January--March 2013
At the time this column is being
penned, President Obama has signed
a bill delaying sequestration until
March 1. Whatever happens next,
one thing is sure: Budgets are not getting any
bigger. More than ever, the Army Acquisition
community is challenged to get the absolute
most out of our programs, both in meeting
requirements and in nding cost e ciencies.
is issue of Army AL&T Magazine is
dedicated to how our Acquisition Workforce is
implementing the tenets of "Agile Acquisition,"
aka the Agile Process, which breaks development
into a series of short test processes leading to
a usable product at the end of each iteration
that can be quickly evaluated and modi ed, if
necessary, for operational use.
In the past, large projects were developed using
a sequential design process, or Waterfall Model.
is model sees progress as owing steadily down-
ward, like a waterfall through distinct phases:
conception, initiation, analysis, design, construc-
tion, testing, production/implementation, and
maintenance. At the conclusion of each phase
comes a formal milestone review, conducted as a
capstone event along with user validation.
In the Waterfall Model, integration and test-
ing represent a phase separate from the others,
which can lead to signi cant delays and cost
overruns if problems are found. ere is only
one product release at the end of testing. In this
highly structured, stovepipe environment, after-
the-fact changes are prohibitively costly, if not
impossible to implement.
Enter Agile Acquisition. One of the primary dif-
ferences between the Waterfall Model and the
Agile Process is the frequency of usable releases.
Breaking down the development phase into
short processes that quickly produce a func-
tional product helps agile teams learn about
integration and testing issues very early in the
project, instead of at the end.
ese lessons learned can bene t future devel-
opment. us, the scope of work can be added
to, priorities can be revised, and deliverables
can be modi ed and elded much faster. With
continual user participation and feedback, the
customer ultimately receives an improved prod-
uct much sooner at a better price.
Examples of the Army's use of Agile Acquisition
methods abound. Consider, for example, how
the Army is saving time and money while
delivering vital computing capabilities as
described, in the article "A Fast-Moving Cloud."
See how continuous improvements are made
to the tactical communications backbone in
"Evolving the Network," and learn how multiple
systems have been brought together and tested
under real-world conditions at the most recent
Network Integration Evaluation, NIE 13.1.
Also in this issue, the Honorable Heidi Shyu
lays out a new 30-year strategic modernization
planning process in "Planning Ahead." As the
Cheshire cat said in Lewis Carroll's "Alice in
Wonderland," "If you don't know where you're
going, any road will get you there." Unguided
agility will get you nowhere, which is why
Shyu provides much-needed direction for the
future of our Agile Acquisition e orts.
Finally, this issue presents the results of our
biennial magazine survey. We had a signi cant
response rate and, overall, the comments
were favorable, a rming that Army AL&T
Magazine is delivering the coverage and details
you need to stay abreast of current issues in the
acquisition world. But please don't wait for the
next survey to tell us what you think. If, at any
time, you have a suggestion about coverage
or want to submit an article, contact me at
armyalt@gmail.com.
From the Editor-in-Chief
Nelson McCouch III
Editor-in-Chief
For more news, information, and
articles, please visit the USAASC
website at
http://asc.army.mil.
Click on the Publications tab at
the top of the page.
BACK
TALK
To contact the Editorial O ce:
Call (703) 805-1034/1038
or DSN 655-1034/1038
Articles should be submitted to:
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
ARMY AL&T
9900 BELVOIR RD.
FORT BELVOIR, VA 22060-5567
Email:
usarmy.belvoir.usaasc.list.usaascweb-army-
alt-magazine@mail.mil
or
armyalt@gmail.com
CORRECTION
In the July-September
2012 issue of Army AL&T
Magazine, the article "A Strong
Lens" incorrectly described
the makeup of the Army
Con guration Steering Board
(CSB). e CSB is chaired
solely by the Army Acquisition
Executive. e Vice Chief of
Sta of the Army is a member
of the CSB.